Colt Fire torching on Thursday, July 20. (Courtesy InciWeb)
People living near Rainy and Summit lakes north of Seeley Lake were ordered to evacuate Friday afternoon because of the spread of the Colt Fire burning in the area since earlier this week.
The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office issued the evacuation order at 4 p.m. Friday for people living along Highway 83 between mile markers 27 and 31 – from Rainy Lake to Summit Lake. The same area was issued an evacuation warning about an hour beforehand.
The sheriff’s office said the fire was “an immediate threat” in the area and that an emergency vehicle would being moving through the area making loudspeaker announcements about the evacuation order.
People are also being advised to avoid the Beaver Lake and Colt Lake areas where crews were working on the fire.
The fire is believed to have started when lightning moved through the area, about 15 miles northwest of Seeley Lake, on Monday, though it was first detected on Tuesday.
As of midday Friday, the fire was an estimated 200 acres in size and was “active on all fronts,” according to fire officials. It is burning through dense timber with heavy dead fuels.
Incident spokesperson Kristin Mortenson, with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, said she would not be surprised if the fire had grown well beyond 200 acres as she drove toward it on Friday afternoon and could see the smoke plume.
“It’s pretty big and we’ve got some strong winds here,” she said. “It’s been really difficult to get accurate mapping on it because conditions are continually changing.”
Firefighters were pulled away from the fire on Thursday afternoon when activity increased but were back working on the fire both on the ground and with aircraft Friday morning.
A Complex Incident Management Team was ordered in to manage the fire and is expected to be on site for a briefing Saturday before taking control of it on Sunday, according to the DNRC.
One hotshot crew, two Type 2 hand crews, two engines, and multiple aircraft are currently working the fire along with DNRC and U.S. Forest Service personnel, and more resources have been ordered.
Westerly winds are expected to shift to southwesterly winds overnight, and temperatures are forecast this weekend in the 90s with humidity around 11-21 percent, according to fire officials.
Several new fires were also reported in the Bowles Creek area Friday east of Hamilton and about three miles southwest of Skalkaho Pass, the largest of which was an estimated 50-60 acres Friday morning, according to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
The USFS said the causes of those fires had not yet been verified but are also suspected to have started because of lightning.
People living near the Colt Fire and in fire-prone areas of Montana are advised to be prepared with go-bags, evacuation plans and more during the fire season, which officials said this week was likely to kick off in earnest this weekend into next week, with temperatures in the 90s across most of western Montana and little precipitation forecast.
People in Missoula County can click here for more information on the evacuation process and can sign up for emergency alerts at Smart911.com. The latest information on the Colt Fire can be found on its page at InciWeb.
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